Starfleet Academy Mystery
by goldenruhl
Summary: Voyager has returned to the alpha quadrant and things are not going well at Starfleet Academy Admiral Janeway is put in charge to find out what is going on there, and she knows just to call on to help some f/f b/7.I'm going to finish this story!plz review
1. Chapter 1

Starfleet Academy Mystery

Fleet Admiral Nechayev studied the cadet who stood rigidly in front of her. The cadet's eyes were locked forward as she defiantly refused to even blink. The Admiral lifted the data pad from her desk and stepped closer to the young woman.

"Would you care to explain why this is in my hands?"

The cadet remained silent, refusing to answer and her stance became even more rigid although the Admiral couldn't see how it was possible. Just looking at her was giving her a tension headache.

"At ease, Cadet Nimitz." Alynna sat behind her desk and sighed as she stared once more at the resignation in her hand. Rear Admiral Brand, the Starfleet Commandant, had brought it to her personal attention because she knew of her relationship with the cadet's family. In turn, she spoke to Janna's father. Jason was beside himself, unable to get any answers from his daughter. She had been a very promising cadet with good marks and favorable reports from her instructors. So why did she want to resign?

As she looked at the young woman before her, Alynna's features softened. She had known Janna since she was a little girl with large blue eyes and the sweetest nature at least when she wasn't being pig-headed. Memories came flooding back. It wasn't all that long ago, in her mind, when the young woman called her Aunt Alynna.

"I remember when you used to come to me if you had problems, when you were little. Are we so different now, Janna?" she asked sadly.

The cadet refused to look into her eyes. Instead, her gaze shifted and gazed out the window, just behind the Admiral.

"I'm not a little girl any longer nor is this about a broken greenhouse window," Janna stated in a soft but defiant tone.

True, she wasn't a child any longer but she still lacked life experience. Perhaps she just needed a guiding hand. She'd try a different approach. She stood up and walked over to one wall and studied the photos and artworks of past Starships and officers.

"People in your family, from the days of the wet navy to today, have served in the military or Starfleet. Some of them died performing their duty and some have had long outstanding careers as officers. None have ever shirked their duty or fled in the face of battle until now. I can only imagine what they would think of your actions today. To give up everything you've achieved so far on a whim-"

"Whim! Admiral " Janna clamped her lips together in anger.

"Well, you refuse to state why you wish to resign. Your grades are outstanding and you have impressed your instructors with your abilities. So why quit?"

Jana refused to speak once more, glaring out the window now, her anger seething just under the surface of her face.

"It seems to be a fad. Do you know that five other young women have recently resigned? Their records are nearly as good as your own," the Admiral mentioned offhandedly. "At this rate there won't be a female left in the academy," she said, trying to make it sound like a humorous comment.

Janna snorted bitterly.

"I haven't accepted your resignation yet, Cadet," she snapped, "All I want to hear is words, not crude noises. Now tell me what is going on before I have you thrown in the brig for insubordination!" Nechayev threatened.

"Permission to speak freely, Admiral?"

"Of course."

"You and I both know that is an empty threat. Even you would be hard pressed to punish a fellow admiral's daughter without good reason. That's how life works, doesn't it? An officer protects his own? With enough clout, you could get away with nearly anything, couldn't you?"

Nechayev crossed her arms and looked at Janna, her eyebrows nearly creased into one another from frowning so hard. "What exactly are you trying to tell me, Janna?"

Janna stood and resumed her rigid stance. "Nothing, Admiral. Just commenting on one of life's little ironies. May I be dismissed?"

"Dismissed, Cadet." The Admiral watched her goddaughter leave the room.

"Well, that was helpful," she commented to herself.

Newly appointed rear Admiral Kathryn Janeway glanced out her office window. It overlooked the manicured lawns and gardens of Starfleet Head Quarters based in San Francisco. She couldn't believe that they were home, thanks to the Borg technology no less.

The Daystrom Institute had recently cracked the transwarp barrier of the coils that had been stolen from the Borg ship. Between the speed capabilities and the new ablative hull shielding, Starfleet vessel technology would be making huge leaps that could save thousands of lives.

The hull armor had caused quite a stir with the Temporal Investigation Department, who at first confiscated the technology. Heated discussions of the use of a technology from the future had taken months before they grudgingly permitted it to be studied further. The theory that inched the argument towards using the armor was the fact that no time ship had come to their time to correct the mistake. Then the Daystrom Institute had learned of their possession of it. It seemed they had been working on it themselves, reinforcing the belief that it would have been in use anyway and therefore morally acceptable to use in this timeline.

With the arguments finished it was time to implement those new designs into the Starfleet vessels. Refitting for each ship needed to be scheduled, juggling the coverage of every sector. Janeway sighed and sat down. Her desk was covered in assorted PADDs, all needing her attention or approvals. Progress reports came in almost hourly.

Janeway was developing a massive headache. Life was much simpler as a starship captain. 'I wonder if I can give back the Admiralty just so I can escape from all this damned paperwork,' she thought to herself.

An electronic bleep shook her out of her musings.

"Admiral, Admiral Nechayev is here to see you," her assistant reported over the Comm system.

"Send her in," she ordered, standing to greet her visitor. "Admiral," she said warmly.

Nechayev held up her hand to stop her. "If we stand here and keep saying, Admiral-Admiral, we'll be here all day. At ease, and call me Alynna," she commanded. From anyone else Kathryn would have taken it as lightheartedness but the look on the Fleet Admiral's face told her otherwise.

"You're the boss. What can I do for you, Alynna?"

Nechayev smiled without humor. "Always to the point," she said as she sat down in the large chair facing Janeway's desk. "I need you to take a temporary assignment. The Commandant of Starfleet Academy has asked for, and given, a sabbatical."

"And this affects my department how?" Janeway wanted to know what this had to do with her. And why had Admiral Brand asked for time away from the Academy? Assignments as Commandant to the Academy were almost a life term assignment, given to officers who have shown a strong aptitude for excellence and dedication. Once assigned to the duty it normally took a crowbar to remove a commandant from the post. Her instincts were sounding an alarm claxon in her mind.

The Admiral cleared her throat. "I know this isn't normally considered a temporary assignment but I need you to take over as the Academy Commandant's position for a brief time."

Kathryn was speechless for several seconds. She had not seen this coming.

"Me, The Commandant of Starfleet Academy? Why? I have no experience with training cadets. I've never even held a teaching post during my career."

"It's not your teaching experience I need Admiral. It's your ability to find the truth that I need. What I am about to tell you is to be kept strictly in the room and only told to those you deem to have the need to know."

Nechayev spoke for some time, disclosing the occurrences within the Academy. Janeway listened intently, stunned. When the Admiral finished Kathryn sat back and shook her head.

"None of this has become common knowledge? Two suicides and six resignations by female cadets can hardly be considered random or coincidence."

"I agree. Admiral Brand has looked into the incidents but has failed to get to the root of the problem. Her sabbatical wasn't entirely voluntary," Alynna said coldly. Janeway shuddered from of the look of fury in her eyes. And they say her looks could peel paint from the walls? She was glad she wasn't in Brand's shoes.

"I want this problem investigated and resolved, Kathryn. I can't get involved with this personally as much as I would want to. One of those who resigned was my goddaughter, Janna. I'm relying on you to stop this in its tracks."

"Do you have any theories to what is going on?" Janeway asked. "What does the student commander have to say about these incidents?"

There was a brief flash of pain in Admiral Nechayev's eyes but Kathryn missed it, her attention being on the PADD she was punching notes into. "No, he claims to know nothing."

Janeway looked up. "Then he must be the most clueless Cadet Commander in history. Do you have any instructions on how you want this handled?"

The Fleet Admiral stood up. "No, this is at your discretion. Your new post begins at 0800 Monday morning. Carry on." Janeway stood silently as Admiral Nechayev left her office.

Several hours later the headache felt like a migraine. She had brought in several of the senior cadets in for interviews but all she had gotten was blank looks and uninformative replies. The admiral had dismissed them wearily and sat back in her chair. She wasn't used to being stonewalled by mere cadets. They had looked so young, reminding her that she was easily old enough to be their mother. She grinned slightly, remembering the comment from her former first officer when he had said she behaved like a strict mother with her crew. Perhaps there had been some truth to that remark. Captains kept the interests of Starfleet, their ship, and those in their command foremost in their thoughts during their career.

Unfortunately, she couldn't simply put those uncooperative cadets over her knee and force them to speak to her. She needed answers. Kathryn picked up the PADD and looked over the former cadet files once more. Other than they were all female, mainly human, they had little in common. It was up to her to find the missing connections. Were they victims of some sort? It was quite possible. Admiral Janeway concluded what she needed was someone to go undercover, a woman who could appear defenseless but was in fact actually a predator. A feral grin appeared on the older woman's face. She knew just the person for the job, and with a little help, she would be perfect.

Janeway spun her computer towards her and hailed her first contact. A familiar face appeared on her screen. Dr. Bob never changed. His rough features and balding pate filled her screen.

"Hello Doctor. I need your help," she said bluntly.

The holographic physician lifted his chin slightly. "You only have to ask, Admiral. What can I do for you?"

"Meet me at my home tonight, at 1800 hours. We'll discuss it privately there. I promise not to cook," she chuckled. A hologram didn't need to eat but he smiled slightly at her joke. Her cooking skills or lack thereof were well known among the former Voyager crew.

"Until then, Admiral. Dr. Bob out." The screen went dark. Janeway consulted the computer and contacted her predator, Captain B'Elanna Torres. The former Maquis member had little trouble finding a position in Starfleet. The losses due to the Dominion War gave gifted officers the opportunity to advance rapidly. B'Elanna had come a long way from the fiery Maquis who began her Starfleet career by breaking the nose of the Lt. Carey.

"Captain Torres," Kathryn got a kick each time she said it, "I have a mission that needs your special flair. Could you come to my quarters tonight at 1800 hours?"

"Mission? Admiral, I-"

"Please B'Elanna, wait until tonight before I explain. We'll have dinner and talk it over." Janeway saw the barely hidden panic in the young woman's eyes.

"I'll order from Francois'," she promised.

The half-Klingon woman sighed. She did her best to hide her relief. She loved Janeway like family and there was no possible way she'd refuse to help her she just didn't want to die of gastric distress.

"Until tonight, Admiral, Torres out."

Kathryn placed the finishing touches on the dinner table; pleased it turned out so nicely. The only mar to the beautiful table was the PADDs sitting at each setting, reminding her this evening wasn't just for pleasure. She sighed and headed for the replicator but stopped when the door chimes sounded.

She gave the enter command and smiled broadly when she spotted her guests, who stood together.

"Come in, come in!" Kathryn gave first the doctor, then B'Elanna, a hug, pleased to see them in person. She hadn't seen them since the crew of the Voyager had been reassigned. The Doctor was now in Starfleet medical and B'Elanna was a captain and in charge of the engineering section of the Utopia Planatia shipyard. They spent an hour catching up on their former crewmembers.

Harry Kim was now a Starfleet Liaison with Daystrom where Seven was now working as a scientist. Janeway wondered if that had been a coincidence. The romance between Seven and Chakotay had not survived the return from the Delta Quadrant. He had wanted to continue to see one another but something had changed between them. Seven had withdrawn and took a position far from where the commander was stationed.

Janeway asked B'Elanna how Tom was doing. Their marriage had ended a few months after their return. Tom had taken a job as a test pilot and had spent longer and longer hours away from home. They parted on friendly terms for the sake of their daughter. Kathryn was always happy to hear news about her goddaughter. Miral was now 18 months old and quite adorable. Kathryn felt a twinge of guilt at what she would ask of her. Captain Torres would be separated from her daughter for months.

Dinner from Francois was excellent as always. The Doctor kept up a light banter as the women enjoyed their meal. It was a tribute to his self-control over his curiosity that he waited until the Admiral dabbed her lips with her linen napkin before taking the Padd into his hands.

"May I?" he asked. At her nod the two guests activated the PADDs and began reading.

B'Elanna couldn't believe what she read. How had something like this be kept quiet for so long? She turned to Janeway, her eyes wide.

"Admiral, how in the world has the Academy kept a lid on this? I can't believe not even a whisper of this has gotten out yet."

Janeway took a sip of her coffee and looked at her former engineer in the eye. "Because we haven't any answers. I've done a little probing but each time walls were thrown up and students kept quiet. They are hiding something and until I know what we're dealing with I want no word of this getting out. I've decided to let things settle a bit before the new quarter to allow the secret keepers to feel more secure. This is where I need the two of you."

"I take it that you wish me to step in as a teacher?" B'Elanna asked.

"Um, not exactly. I had a student more in mind for you."

"A what?" the part Klingon woman exclaimed, her face a portrait of disbelief.

The Doctor chuckled. "Then you want me to perform a little cosmetic surgery on Ms. Torres, am I correct?"

Janeway nodded. "Yes, Doctor Bob. I need B'Elanna to appear like a human teenager. She needs to look like a good target but who is in reality a huntress." A smirk appeared on Janeway's face. "She came to mind, I don't know why."

Next Page Starfleet Academy Mystery By Golden_ruhl 2006 All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: I'm just having fun with the Star trek characters but the story is my own and can't be copied except for personal use. It may not be posted at another site without my permission.

Warnings: This is also a romance between two women and written for adults. Please feel free to read something else if this would offend you. Not much vulgarity except here and there. So don't say I didn't warn you.

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	2. Chapter 2

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 2

B'Elanna starred at the image in the mirror. The reflection staring back at her brought back so many memories that she had pushed aside and had nearly forgotten. She touched her forehead, feeling the lack of her normal Klingon ridges. It had felt bizarre the first time, so long ago in the Delta Quadrant. The Vidiians had split her into two complete people, one human and one Klingon, in order to use her Klingon half to fight the Phage.

She shook her head and tried to push away those memories. She stepped back and took stock of her face as it was now. She had more rounded cheeks and the angular cut of her adult face had been softened. Damn, she looked like a fresh faced cadet all right.

"I guess I'm ready. Now what?"

"Tomorrow morning you check in at the Academy. Remember to be unassuming and low key as you can manage."

"We've been over this already Admiral. I promise not to break any noses even if they deserve it."

The Admiral chuckled. B'Elanna had made arrangements for during her absence then spent quite a bit of time in the area near the Academy trying to observe the young adults that lived locally. She had wanted to catch up with the newest slang and watch how human girls interacted. As a girl herself she had been too angry to pay attention to the little details. Now she needed to learn all she could before the semester began.

The next day came too quickly for the former Maquis. She had forgotten how much you stood in line on your first day at the Academy. Her feet were hurting as she juggled her pile of newly issued cadet uniforms and data PADDs along with her duffel bag she had brought with her.

"Now where is room 212?" she muttered to herself. She finally spotted the desired door. It had an old-fashioned door handle (she never did figure out why they were still used in this day and age) and struggled to open it when it suddenly flung open.

B'Elanna looked forward then up at the 6' 5 inch Klingon female revealed in the doorway.

"Come in roomie," the Klingon growled as she slapped B'Elanna on the back in a friendly Klingon manner. B'Elanna grunted and was barely able to remain on her feet. Had she been truly human she would have been knocked to the floor and probably feeling humiliated and angry.

"Hey, ease up on the throttle. I'm not as strong as you so please try and remember that."

The Klingon female pouted. Pouted? If B'Elanna hadn't seen it with her own eyes she would have never believed it.  
"Very well. My name is K'Trina. What is your name, human?"

"Lanna Torres." And they say the Gods have no sense of humor? B'Elanna could swear she heard Kahless laughing his fool head off at this very moment.

B'Elanna was bored, bored, bored. A dangerous and frustrating occurrence for the half-Klingon. She was in beginning engineering and the instructor had given them each a small sublight engine to take apart and reassemble and make any improvements they could to test each of their abilities.

The engineer looked at the engine in disgust. She could easily increase its capabilities by 300% but that would be beyond her fabricated background's abilities. She was supposed to be the child of a shipyard's refurbishing engineer. Even supposing she had held a spanner as a toddler she'd only be advanced enough to bring it to 150% of its current settings. She growled silently to herself. Why didn't she have the doctor do a lobotomy on her while she could? It was infuriating to act like a student when she knew more than the instructor did.

She quickly tore it apart and reassembled it to 60%. She glared at the dirty engine then took it apart once more. Maybe she could get away with removing a few more redundancies. She glanced over at K'Trina. Her experienced eye saw the work she had managed so far. The cadet had removed three redundancies so far. She was pretty good. She ought to keep an eye on her for the future. The Klingon may turn out to be a decent engineer.

The instructor watched cadet Torres with interest. She worked quickly, with a grace only seen in natural engineers. He wondered why she hadn't sought acceptance in a more advanced class. Perhaps she hadn't wanted to stand out among her peers. Sometimes that happened. Or perhaps she had gotten friendly advice from someone who had gone through the Academy and suggested she take the course for an easy good review. Well, he certainly wouldn't hold it against her but hoped that when he pushed her towards a more challenging course she'd understand his reasoning. It was the hungry that got advanced not the nibblers. Another hungry cadet was the Klingon working at the next station.

He had seen her glance at the Klingon cadet often but knew she wasn't trying to get pointers. He believed she had also spotted the raw talent in the intimidating female. Good. Recognizing talent was a good trait in a Starfleet Officer. It meant you were paying attention to those around you. Students' grades weren't based on mere book knowledge. So many other factors unknown to the cadets added to their overall standings.

It was those small traits and skills that separated those with potential from the parlor pink hot-doggers. Satisfied that he had at least two cadets that would keep him on his toes, he moved on to the next set of first year cadets.

K'Trina happened to glance up and noticed that her roommate had stopped working and was glancing in her direction, her soft human face unreadable. She was an odd one. Her roommate didn't speak to her much, just keeping to herself. K'Trina could tell that the human female wasn't afraid of her which was in itself quite odd. The Klingon returned her eyes to the work at hand. The mystery of the human would wait until another time.

Admiral Janeway sat at her new desk at the Academy, deep in thought. She hadn't realized how surrounded by people she would be as Commandant. She was hardly left alone although the students rarely sought her out. That eliminated the idea that B'Elanna could visit her in her office. People would notice. She needed a way to speak with the Captain. Janeway was reluctant to use communicators or sending text messages. Both were security risks. No, what she needed was a middleman who could easily pass messages without arousing suspicion. Perhaps a guest speaker or consultant. Then an idea came to mind.

There was one person perfect for the job. She nodded to herself and activated the COM link. A blonde woman's face filled the screen.

"Seven, it's good to see you," she said warmly.

"You as well, Admiral. What can I do for you?"

"Still right to the point," Janeway grinned. "I have a favor to ask of you. Could you come by my home around lunchtime if you're not to busy? I'd like to discuss a problem that needs your particular talents."

Seven's expression was both curious, and to Kathryn's eye, relieved for some reason. It had only lasted a second but long enough for the perceptive woman to notice. Well, Seven would explain only if she felt like it. She was still very much a private person.

"Would 1100 be acceptable, Admiral? I have a meeting to attend at 1230," Seven asked.

"That would be fine. I'll see you then. Janeway out." The screen went blank. Kathryn chuckled, happy she had been the one to finally end the communication rather than Seven. The former Borg had the habit of saying what she needed then abruptly terminating the transmission once finished. Perhaps Seven had something else on her mind that caused her to hesitate.

In fact, the ex-drone did. The Admiral's communication gave her the hope that she would be called away from the Daystrom Institute for a period of time. If so, she would have a legitimate excuse to turn Harry Kim's invitation to share lunch times together. He was becoming increasingly more insistent on beginning a romantic relationship. While she regarded Harry as a good friend, she had little desire to change how they interacted. She was no longer floundering. She had discovered much about herself since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant.

Her relationship with Chakotay, although pleasant, had brought to light the qualities she required in a relationship. The Commander, a fine person, could not fill those roles she needed. She hadn't shared her discovery with him, unsure how to do so but honor demanded she end their relationship. He had protested of course and they had gone their separate ways.

Now Harry was in the picture causing difficulties. She didn't feel comfortable telling a human male that she was far more attracted to females. She had done some research on human mating rituals and had received several non-verbal signals from receptive women. Unfortunately, Harry Kim had suddenly appeared at the Institute and quietly staked his claim. The females had backed off thinking they had misinterpreted her signals. If it weren't so against her nature she'd scream in frustration. She held onto the hope that the Admiral would give her an excuse to put Harry's request on hold. Perhaps he would even find another female to focus his attentions onto.

Seven of Nine logged out of her station causing several surprised glances. Seven never stopped for lunch. When Harry Kim came into her work area her associates informed him that she had just left for lunch. Seven would have been most gratified at his look of shock that she had left for lunch and not with him.

Promptly at 1100 hours the former Borg activated the door chime to Kathryn Janeway's home on the Academy campus. The Admiral greeted her warmly, genuinely pleased to see the lovely young woman. She escorted her to the dining area where she had a light luncheon prepared. Seven had gradually eased her body into accepting solid foods rather than the bland supplement she had been forced to consume on the Voyager.

The Admiral kept up a light banter between them, encouraging Seven to learn small talk. As they completely their meal the ex-Borg carefully placed her fork down and looked directly at her former Captain.

"Admiral, what is the purpose of this meeting?"

Kathryn smiled indulgently. "Seven, I have repeatedly asked you to call me Kathryn. I am no longer your Captain but your friend."

Seven raised her Borg implant above her eye and replied. "Very well, Kathryn, what is the matter you wish to discuss with me?"

Janeway swallowed her laughter caused by the young woman's expression. She turned and retrieved the PADD from the sideboard and handed it to the tall woman. Seven scanned its contents within seconds. Her Borg implant nearly reached her hairline as surprise etched her features.

"Ad-, Kathryn, what is it you require of me?"

"Seven, I need someone on the inside to act as a liaison between B'Elanna and myself. It would look suspicious to have a cadet constantly entering the Commandant's office. What I would like is to have you attend the Academy as a guest speaker and specialized tutor for several of the courses, such as Exobiology and the Advanced Tactical Training. You wouldn't be considered a teacher and it would be acceptable for you to form casual friendships among the cadets. Besides giving B'Elanna and I a way to communicate you may be able to hear things we wouldn't with that enhanced hearing of yours. Keep your eyes and ears open-figuratively,' she added quickly, knowing the woman could be quite literal, "and perhaps we could end this mystery and get back to our normal business. Besides, it may not hurt to socialize among the youngsters rather than always talking shop with your co-workers," she added.

Two thoughts crossed Seven's mind. One, she would have an acceptable excuse to avoid Harry Kim for a period of time, and two, she would spend time with B'Elanna Torres. She had missed their spirited arguments.

"I accept. When do I begin?"

"I've made arrangements to have you released for the remainder of the day from the Institute. You have three days to make clear up your calendar and report to the Academy where I'll introduce you as a guest lecturer and that you've volunteered to tutor cadets part time. I don't want you overloaded by students eager to spend time with you."

Seven's eyebrow lifted slightly. She still didn't see why others found her attractive. After all, she wasn't fully human and would never be completely separated from her Borg implants. She ignored the playful teasing and continued asking questions about her role in the investigation.

B'Elanna's fake records had been fixed to state a weakness for temporal mechanics. The half-Klingon had been annoyed by this and her outraged expression had caused the Admiral to bite her cheek from the effort not to laugh. After all, among the Voyager crew the Chief of Engineering had been almost the Captain's equal in knowledge of the complex science. Well, things ought to be interesting with those two at least. Seven and B'Elanna mixed like oil and water. She showed the former Borg out, glad to have two allies within the Academy. Janeway was confident they would soon find the answers they needed.

* * * *  
To Be Continued

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	3. Chapter 3

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 3

B'Elanna was beyond bored. She was attending her third class at the Academy and working on Wang's postulate in her head. It was the only challenge she could give herself.

Temporal Mechanics had been interesting in her original freshman year but now was old news. The class was strictly a lecture and she had nothing to do but to pretend to act interested and bite her

tongue. When she came to the Voyager she had already received a good grounding on the theories. She hadn't been an expert but she understood more than most of the cadets. Then while she was

under the command of Captain Janeway she discovered how little she knew in comparison to the older woman. The Captain's Doctoral thesis had been on Wang's postulate and took tutoring the

Maquis engineer upon herself, seeing B'Elanna as a kindred spirit. Many in Starfleet had wondered why such a talented woman would pursue a command rather than work in the sciences. A few had

wondered if it had been because of her father. The truth of the matter was that as a cadet Kathryn she did something by honest effort that no one else had ever done. She had lasted longer than

anyone at the Kobayashi Maru test had. She hadn't cheated like the infamous James T Kirk. During the exercise she had taken a total of 16 ships with her before being 'destroyed' in the simulation. With

a galaxy class starship she had crippled/destroyed 7 more ships than anyone else in the history of the test did. After the results of the test reached Starfleet Command there was nothing they wouldn't

do to cultivate such a natural tactical genius. Captain Torres sighed quietly and pretended to be as lost as most of her fellow cadets. It wouldn't do to have the instructor notice her after all these years.

Falling asleep would also be a bad idea. She continued to work on her calculations and almost missed the introduction to a surprise guest speaker. It was the hum of the class that made her sit up

straight and look up-right into the startling blue eyes of Seven of Nine. No, it couldn't be. She had fallen asleep and was fantasizing. Then Seven spoke and the clipped tones jolted her into reality. She

would know that voice anywhere. She joined the rest of the cadets in staring slack-jawed at the comely female wearing the dusty blue biosuit. Apparently the Admiral had neglected to tell her

everything. B'Elanna was so stunned and lost in her own thoughts that she had missed something. Many of her classmates were looking at her in a combination of envy or pity. Had someone spoken to

her? She looked to Seven in hope that she'd help her out. The former Borg saw the glazed look then puzzlement in her friend's eyes and realized B'Elanna hadn't heard what she had previously said.

"Cadet Torres, is it acceptable to meet with me after the end of this class? I understand you had requested additional tutorage when you signed up for the semester." "Um, yes, after class will be fine,"

she stuttered. The instructor cleared his throat and gave a more detailed introduction of Seven of Nine's background then stepped from the podium so she could begin speaking to the class. B'Elanna

listened to Seven's clear voice and drank in the welcomed sight of her former shipmate. Until this moment she hadn't realized she had missed the young woman who had fought with her about

everything under the sun, often convincing the engineer that Seven did it just for the fun of it. Their friendship had been a slow process as they began forming a respect for the other's abilities. There

had been a time when B'Elanna would have missed the sparkle of amusement in those gorgeous blue eyes. She drank in the sight of the former drone. Seven was wearing a tailored pantsuit cut in the

modern style. A pity it wasn't as snug as her original biosuits although B'Elanna suspected the biosuit's circuitry was built into the soft materials. Her thick blonde hair was still in its customary French roll

but it didn't retract from Seven's beauty. The half-Klingon was startled with the thought. Why hadn't she noticed how lovely Seven was before now? She shook her head. They had a mission to do and

this wasn't the time to get distracted. * • * * * * * B'Elanna activated the door chime to the Instructor's office and the clipped 'Come in' said by Seven reminded the half-Klingon exactly why she didn't

spend a lot of time missing the blonde. Social niceties just weren't in her vocabulary and had often dangled on the engineer's last nerve. Seven gave B'Elanna a short glimpse then returned her

attention to the PADD in front of her. "I'll be with you in a moment, Cadet Torres," she said curtly. The hybrid gnashed her teeth and stood at parade rest until the tall blonde finished with her notes.

Seven handed over the Padd to B'Elanna then clasped her hands behind her back, her own posture ramrod straight. "These are the times available for tutoring," she clearly then lowered her eyes

towards the instrument so B'Elanna knew to read it now. It said: 'This is not a secure place. I will meet you at your dormitory room in three days when I begin lecturing full time.' She spoke once the

Klingon finished. "Will any these times be acceptable, Cadet?' Seven asked, raising her Borg eyepiece inquisitively. "Yes ma'am. Any of the available times will be fine." "Then you are dismissed, Cadet."

B'Elanna nodded politely as would be expected and left the office. She didn't feel like returning to her room. She felt restless and knew her assignments would take very little time. What she wanted to

do was find a halogym and swing her bat'leth at some halodeck opponents but she didn't want to risk anyone walking in on her. Perhaps a walk would get rid of some of her excessive energy. The day

was sunny as she walked at a good clip around the vast gardens and fields. She was passing a playing field where quite a few cadets were involved in a game. She thought about the archaic term and

remembered it was called 'baseball'. She watched with interest at the motions of the game as she stood in a sunny spot, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Earth tended to be a bit chilly after growing up

on Kessik IV. "Heads up!" someone shouted. B'Elanna glanced up and saw a white ball coming down towards her. She easily caught it barehanded and looked at the stitched sphere. "Good catch! Now

can you toss it back?" the closest person asked. She knew from watching that it always was returned to the man standing on the mound so she tossed it in his direction. The man caught it then stood

there, as did the rest of the players, no one speaking for several long seconds. Then the man who had first spoke to her asked excitedly, "Want to join our team?" The half-Klingon was perplexed. She

didn't realize her throw was equivalent to the far outfielder throwing to home plate. "C'mon, say yes," the young man begged prettily. B'Elanna was confused and didn't know if he was joking or not.

She glanced at the other people and saw several waving her towards them. The young man walked towards her and placed his gloved hand against her shoulder, kindly urging her towards the other

team members. A young Vulcan woman was strolling towards them. The man next to her said softly that T'Saarik was the team captain. The woman stopped a polite distance away. "You have a

remarkable throw for a human female. The others have expressed a desire to have you join the team. Would you consider this?" "You're joking, right? I've never played the game in my life. I wouldn't

have a clue what to do," B'Elanna scoffed. "That is easily correctable. The rules are quite simple although the game has many complexities regarding strategy. I am sure you would learn the basics

rather quickly. So, will you consider joining the team?" "Well, I guess it depends on the time requirements to play I suppose." sam3 "Our practices are from 10:00 to 12:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Our actual competitions are scheduled so they will not interfere with exams or Academy exercises. Is this acceptable?" The last of her excuses were taken from her. Besides, she didn't know where she

might pick up answers to her investigation. Perhaps the females on the team could provide clues or be allies. "Yes, I think I'd enjoy it," B'Elanna said with a quirky smile. The players around her cheered

and welcomed her to the team. She spent several hours getting to know them before heading back to her room. She opened the door quickly stepped inside only to stop suddenly when she faced a

huge leather-clad wall. She looked up at a middle-aged Klingon wearing casual armor but his height was what gave her pause. He was easily over seven-foot tall in addition to wearing 4 inch boots,

contributing to his already impressive height. No wonder K'trina was so tall. Neither Klingon paid any attention to her entrance. "I am your father and you will do as I command!" he was shouting. "I will

not!" K'Trina shouted back. "If you wish to join the military then attend the Klingon Academy on Kronos and join the Klingon Defense Forces, not this human infested Starfleet." "It was you who left me

in the charge of humans, father. I am now of legal age and well past the age of Ascension. I may do as I please," she sneered. Her father stepped closer and glared down at his rebellious daughter.

B'Elanna didn't even try to step in. K'Trina wasn't likely to be struck by her angry father, this was only a typical Klingon squabble. Klingon males did not normally abuse their children although they did

expect obedience from them. The female Klingon suddenly noticed her roommate standing there and B'Elanna knew it was too late to politely walk away. K'Trina's father straightened and gave the puny

human a glare as he walked out of the room. He wasn't in the mood to have her kind watch him being disobeyed. "So that was your father, huh?" B'Elanna spoke then regretted it. She had revealed

that she understood at least some tlhIngan Hol. "How is it you speak Klingon, human?" K'Trina asked, not wishing to speak of her father. B'Elanna stuck to her fabricated background. "Well, I picked up

a few words from my cousin. She's half Klingon and half human. You may heard of her. Her name is B'Elanna Torres," she offered. "Heard of her! She is a great engineer and why I wanted to join

Starfleet. Can I meet her?" the young Klingon woman asked excitedly. B'Elanna was glad her complexion and the dimly lit room helped hide the blush pinking her cheeks. 'Why do I open my mouth?' she

thought to herself, feeling a headache coming on. mailto:goldenruhl_ Next Page


	4. Chapter 4

Seven of Nine was pleased to finally be at the Academy and away from the Daystrom Institute. Harry Kim had been displeased at the news when she informed him that she was accepting a lecturing post

"Seven, we'll hardly see each other," he had complained.

She didn't voice that that point had been the largest appeal to the assignment. She liked Harry but his insistence had become quite annoying and she didn't want to date him.

She smiled at the closed door as she arrived, pleasantly surprised at the anticipation she felt at spending time with B'Elanna Torres. She knocked firmly on the door and waited until her former crewmate opened the door and invited her in.

"Hello Seven. It's good to see you again. Sit down," she indicated towards the bed since furniture in the Academy was almost non-existent. The room held two beds and a closet next to each of them. A small desk was shoved against the wall but the chair was missing for some reason.

"I don't have anything of value to report yet," she told Seven. "I did join the baseball team so perhaps I'll learn something there. B'Elanna couldn't stop staring at Seven who was wearing her favorite color of blue shirt and an archaic style of black jeans without pockets.

"I, too, will, as the Admiral has said, 'keep my ears and eyes open.' During my time here." Seven took on a look of puzzlement. "What is 'baseball'?" she asked.

"A game, once very popular in the twentieth century. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get to know upper classmen. Freshman cadets usually only associate with other freshmen."

"Very logical," Seven commented, admiring B'Elanna's approach to the investigation. She joined the Captain on the bed and spread several PADDs around to make it appear that they were indeed studying. She looked over at the half-Klingon woman and felt herself noticing how soft and warm B'Elanna's eyes were, like melted chocolate. She felt her breathing alter as the room became unexpectantly warmer.

B'Elanna felt it too as she looked into the sea of those incredibly blue eyes that looked at her with such vulnerability. Caught in the same trap, they were unaware of the passage of time and only became aware of their surroundings when the doorknob turned and K'Trina strolled into the dorm room. The Klingon didn't notice the embarrassed expressions on their faces as she tossed her study PADDs onto the desk.

"Hello," she said to Seven, wondering who she was. B'Elanna cleared her throat.

"Um, K'Trina, this is my tutor, Seven of Nine. Seven, this is my roommate, K'Trina."

The women nodded to one another. The Klingon cadet turned to her roomie. "It's dinnertime. Would the two of you care to join me in the mess hall?" she asked politely.

"Sorry, no. We have a lot of studying to do yet, but thanks for asking," B'Elanna answered.

"Okay, will scan you later," K'Trina told her and headed out the door. Once the tall cadet left the women turned to look at one another, wondering what the other was thinking. Their eyes met once more and the engineer found her lips mere inches away from Seven's full mouth and her hearts did double-time. The pull of those lips drew her closer and she felt the warmth and fragrance of the ex-Borg's breath. Their lips met softly as they kissed for the first time. Seven moaned and B'Elanna pulled the tall woman closer, unable to stop herself from deepening the contact. The tentative kiss quickly threatened to burn out of control until Seven's broke the kiss. They looked at each other as their chests heaved with labored breathing until a look of panic crossed Seven's face. She quickly gathered the PADDs and left the room, commenting that she'd meet with her on the next scheduled session. B'Elanna could only blink and wonder what had happened.

• * * *

K'Trina, meanwhile, was sitting alone at a table in the mess hall eating a plate of gagh and a glass of prune juice. Conversations flowed around her but she heard little of it until someone said in a whisper that begged to be heard.

"I heard rumors that women were being driven out of the Academy. Usually the smaller, weaker women are pushed out."

"Starfleet doesn't promote that kind of thing," another whispered back, disbelieving the first speaker.

"I heard the whispers too," another spoke up. "I don't know what's true or not but I hope someone is looking into it at least. I don't want to suddenly find myself on someone's shit list just because I'm petite." The women stood and ended the conversation.

The Klingon wondered if what they spoke of was true, thinking of her roomie. B'Elanna wasn't real small but neither was she physically aggressive. Was it possible someone might try and force her to resign? A frown appeared on K'Trina's face. On her honor, she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.

• * * *

Admiral Kathryn Janeway walked through the halls of the Academy as she approached her office. She received several surprised glances in passing but no one stopped to question the healing scar on her cheek. No one knew about her personal life but many knew about Klingon customs and knew what the scar meant. Not that anyone was brave enough to walk up to her and ask about it.

Janeway kept her head held high and eyes forward, thinking about how going to Phoebe's art show had brought such upheaval into her life.

She had been chatting with Phoebe at the gallery when a startlingly beautiful Klingon woman had walked up to them. Janeway had looked closer and realized this woman was a hybrid and not pure Klingon. She was nearly 5'-11" with flowing black hair with amber colored eyes. Her face wasn't as chiseled as most Klingon women but it was still wonderfully strong along the jaw line. Her ridges were only a slightly stronger version of B'Elanna's, swooping down her brow elegantly.

Kathryn tried not to stare but her eyes wouldn't leave the woman's features. Her sister made introductions, grinning as she spotted the slack-jawed expression on her older sister's face.

"L'Hur, it's so nice that you could make my show. This is my sister, Kathryn Janeway. Kathryn, this is L'Hur, an artist with the Cultural Exchange Program.

The admiral nodded and gave her a weak smile; her normal skills at small talk absent. Phoebe had informed them that she needed to mingle and wandered off, leaving them alone. They stood silently for a bit until L'Hur spoke.

"You stare at me. Is my appearance so frightful?" she asked. Janeway didn't hear the sparkle of humor behind the words.

"No, not at all. Quite the contrary actually. You have a face that makes me wish I were an artist myself. Such wonderful lines," she said to herself softly although the Klingon heard them.

After that night they spent every available moment together, going out for meals and taking long walks. The Klingon woman was indeed of mixed heritage, half human to be exact. Her younger sister had once been involved with the security chief of the Enterprise many years ago until her death after the birth of her son. Her nephew also lived in San Francisco.

The Klingon had thought the relationship between herself and her sister odd. She, the serious one, had become an artist while her jokester sister had become a diplomat. Janeway had grinned at the childhood tales told to her from the tall Klingon.

They spoke of everything. Well, nearly everything. They never spoke of the attraction between them nor acted on it. They also avoided speaking of when L'Hur would leave Earth, which would be the next day. The idea had settled in Kathryn's chest like a hunk of lead, making her miserable.

They walked side by side slowly along the street, heading back to Kathryn's home. The tall artist looked down at her companion, who was quiet and lost in thought, her features forlorn. She didn't know what to think. They had a nice evening together and she thought Kathryn had enjoyed her company, yet now she was silent, her arms crossed across her chest as they strolled down the sidewalk. Lost, L'Hur remained silent as well until they reached the softly lit abode.

They entered the living room and the Admiral placed her evening bag onto the entryway table with a sad sigh.

L'Hur gritted her teeth, unsure of human behavior but she had to do something because that sadness was breaking her hearts.

"Kathryn? What is troubling you tonight?" her rich voice asked softly.

Kathryn Janeway was forcing a weak smile onto her lips. ""It's nothing, really."

The artist knew that wasn't true. She took a step closer to the smaller woman and looked into her eyes, telling her that her words were not believed. Kathryn sighed once more and shook her head, embarrassed at her feelings.

"Well, its just that I…that I will miss you when you leave tomorrow. I think we've become good friends these last few weeks. I'm sorry that I couldn't hide that well tonight, L'Hur."

"You think that having someone care for me would make me feel bad?" The Klingon woman stepped closer yet and placed a finger under Kathryn's chin, lifting it gently. "I, too, have come to value our friendship," she dipped her face close to the smaller woman's, "and more."

Kathryn felt her heart stop beating for a long second before it began beating at a frantic pace. Was L'Hur going to kiss her? Torn between praying for her to do so and fear of where it would lead them kept her hesitant but the Klingon didn't pause.

Her full lips took possession softly, brushing hers ever so gently. Kathryn melted into the warm embrace as the taller woman wrapped her arms around her possessively.

L'Hur felt Kathryn's surrender and lifted her into her arms and carried her into the nearby bedroom. Tonight she would make this woman hers. She placed her reverently onto the center of the large pillow bed and joined her.

L'Hur gently held Kathryn's arms above her on the bed, and as she looked into Kathryn's eyes she knew that this woman held her hearts. "_jIH do,k_" L'Hur declared (my blood).  
Kathryn knew the response and said it without stopping to think."_maj dok_"(our blood). Then together "_Tlinghan jIH." (I am a Klingon__**). **_In the back of Kathryn's mind a little voice was screaming "You just got married?" Just as L'Hur's teeth gently bit into her cheek. The woman above her offered her cheek in return, sealing the vow between them as Kathryn bit her.  
Neither noticed the mild pain as their lips met in a kiss that threatened to melt them into puddles. Clothing disappeared piece by piece and the lovers lost themselves into each other hearts.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

B'Elanna and K'Trina were eating lunch together in the mess hall when Seven of Nine entered the room looking for B'Elanna. Spotting them, she walked to their table. The half-Klingon smiled brightly, glad the former drone didn't seem to be avoiding her after their kiss.

"Why don't you join us, Seven?" she invited.

"No I just wanted to reschedule our tutoring session for tomorrow," said Seven, "I have to go the Daystrom Institute today to correct a problem with something I was working on. I need to reschedule to meet with you tomorrow, Cadet Torres."

Seven leaned forward to whisper something into B'Elanna's ear. "DichDaq qatlha"

B'Elanna's eye grew round in astonishment which made K'Trina laugh in amusement at the expression. Whatever the tall human had said has certainly rattled her roommate's cage.

With that Seven turned on her heels and left the mess hall, leaving behind a dumbfounded B'Elanna and a laughing K'Trina in her wake.

B'Elanna was in a pensive mood during their nighttime practice game. She wasn't the only one nervous. Several of the other female players seemed to be looking around and pacing. No one said anything although she had tentatively asked if things were okay. She just didn't know the women well enough for them to confide in her yet. She sighed and tried not to dwell on her own dilemma.

Did she want to begin a serious relationship with Seven? Her Human and Klingon sides argued with each other. True, Seven was beautiful and intelligent and also one of the biggest know-it-alls she's ever met. B'Elanna shook her head and tried to concentrate on the game.

She struggled to do well when it was her turn to play but was happy once the practice was over. She grabbed her light jacket and left the field to head back to her dorm room.

_**He never removed his eyes from the small dark complexioned woman on the practice field. She looked so timid, never speaking much. She was weak in comparison to the others and knew it. Why did she even bother? Didn't she know that she'd fail? She was like all the other sniveling, weak bitches. They would cower and tremble before running away to safety, yes indeed. **_

B'Elanna never felt the eyes on her as she took the short cut to her dorm. Her mind was still occupied with Seven and what happened this morning. As a former Borg, Seven of Nine was well aware of Klingon customs and mating rituals. She had to be aware of what her words had meant. DichDaq qatlha' was Klingon for 'I will chase you.', the ritual initiation to a courtship. Why now? Seven had run away when they had kissed in the dorm and seemed embarrassed as hell. B'Elanna admitted she wouldn't say no to a little slap and tickle, friendly bed sport, but for more? Once again she was confused. Her mind was so troubled she wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings, her warrior senses ignored.

From out of the darkness hands grabbed hold of her and pulled her off the pathway and into the shrubbery before she could make a sound. Surprised but not frightened, B'Elanna tried to make out the face of her attacker with little luck. With no moon she couldn't see much other than general size and weight. She could barely make out the fact that her attacker was raising a hand to strike her.

B'Elanna didn't worry about the blow, she was confident she could easily handle her attacker if needed. She needed an ID more than anything even if she had to accept a bloody nose to get it.  
Before the blow could land, a large shadowy figure appeared and blocked the fist from landing. _'No!'_ B'Elanna thought as her attacker quickly made an escape. Her rescuer made the move to chase but seemed to think better of it.

"Are you alright, Lanna Torres?" K'Trina asked.

The former Maquis wondered how her roommate had recognized her in the dark. A Klingon's night vision was only slightly better than human's. She didn't know that the tall cadet had felt an uneasiness and had decided to watch her room mate from a distance until she made it home from practice. She wanted nothing more than to chase that _petaQ_ and deal with him as the coward he was.

B'Elanna saw the look in the darkness. "Please, just let him go. I want to go back to our room," she said, hoping that she sounded frightened. She had to keep up the image of being a victim or the attacker might not come out of hiding.

Once back in their room the tall Klingon reassured herself that her roommate was fine. She explained why she had been there and the conversation she had overheard in the mess hall. They got ready for bed. B'Elanna pulled the covers over her and said good night to her rescuer.

"Call me Trina, all my human friends do," she invited. The Klingon put out the lights and stared at the ceiling, wondering why the small human hadn't wanted her to chase her attacker.

In the next bed, B'Elanna was frustrated. If her attacker was part of the mystery or even the one behind the resignations, she needed more than a simple attack to put him away. No, she needed proof of much worse. She hoped his attack this night meant he had her on his list of people to frighten off.

• * * *

The next day she met Seven in her dorm room. She explained the occurrences of the night before and felt a shiver of excitement as the flame of protective anger burned in the former Borg's blue eyes. The look told her that Seven did feel have strong feelings for her and she felt the pull of that attraction tug at her heartstrings. Seven stood to go but as she opened the door B'Elanna leaned back onto her pillows and lowered her voice sexily.

"Do you really think you are fast enough?" she asked silkily. She watched Seven pause in the doorway but the slim woman didn't turn around.

Seven smirked. "Yes," she replied confidently and shut the door behind her.

• * * * *

She smiled at the memory of L'Hur teasing her ticklish hip bone while she was laying on her stomach, enjoying the playful and affectionate touches afterwards. Thenthe caresses went from playful to passionate when she was surprised by her own wild side, recalling when she growled in answer to her mate's. She had lunged forwardto take possession of the morsel so frustratingly close to her lips…  
"Oh God, Katie, get your mind out of the bedroom and concentrate!' she grumbled out loud. Seven was due any minute with her report and the Admiral knew the former Borg had little tact. She would no doubt ask some embarrassing questions.

Right on cue, her assistant buzzed and informed her that Seven of Nine was there for their appointment.

"Send her in," she replied and attempted to appear calm.

The blonde entered the room and walked up to the desk, where she stood at parade rest. Her blue eyes took in the healing wound on the Admiral's face and her eyebrow rose so high it threatened to disappear into her hairline. Well aware of its meaning in light of her more recent research she satisfied her need for efficiency by being direct.

"Congratulations Admiral. May I ask whom the lucky Klingon is?" she asked with a small smirk.

Kathryn cleared her throat. "You don't know her. She is an artist visiting Earth. We met a few weeks ago."

"Interesting. I look forward to meeting her, Admiral."

Kathryn choked on the laugh that threatened to escape. "Well," she said huskily, "Perhaps we could have dinner together-"

"Acceptable. I will be at your residence tonight. What time do you wish me to arrive?" the ex-Borg asked, leaving the Admiral with no choice but to name a time. Seven was relentless.

"Um, 1900 hours would be fine Seven. Now, tell me, do you have anything to report?"

Seven took a breath and began. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 6**

At promptly 1900 hours Seven of Nine activated the door chime to the home of Admiral Janeway. The former Borg admitted to her self that she was curious about the Admiral's new wife. Then the person of her curiosity answered the door. A beautiful and tall Klingon woman, who could, surprisingly, look the statuesque blonde in the eye. The woman smiled warmly and motioned her in.

"You must be Seven of nine. Come in, please. I am L'Hur."

Janeway's voice came from the kitchen area. "Have a seat, Seven, I'll be out in a moment."

Seven grew worried. She hoped Kathryn wasn't cooking. She was still new to eating solid foods and didn't believe her stomach could handle such stress to her system.

L'Hur must have read her worried expression. "Don't worry. She's just setting the table and didn't do any of the cooking."

Seven's look of relief was brief when L'Hur had added that she had prepared the meal instead. Klingon food wouldn't be less challenging. The idea of eating gagh made her stomach clench in dread.

The Klingon chuckled. "I am a fine chef and can fix human dishes. Not only that, I can run a replicator with the best of them." Seven nodded graciously as she wondered how many more emotional gamuts they would run her through.

After the meal, which Seven had thought delicious, she asked to speak privately with Kathryn. L'Hur nodded and told her mate she would go to the den and work on some reports. She gave her a soft peck then left the room.

Kathryn waited for Seven to begin but the young woman seemed at a loss of words. She decided to take matters into her own hands. "So, what did you wish to speak to me about?"

Seven squirmed a bit then looked the Admiral in the eyes. "I wish to know how you chased and captured your mate," Seven asked suddenly, causing the older woman to choke on her coffee.

"What?" Kathryn asked in shock.

"Admiral, I am attempting to pursue B'Elanna Torres and wish to know how to proceed."

Kathryn cleared her throat. "Well, Seven, I wish I could help you but in all honesty I suddenly found myself married. She wasn't exactly quick in courtship but once she decided to pounce it was at warp speed. I blinked and almost missed the courtship," Janeway admitted with a wry grin.

"Thank you, Admiral, you have given me an insight that may well aid me."

"You're welcomed," Janeway replied, having no idea what she had said that was of use but suspected B'Elanna was in big trouble.

• * * * *

B'Elanna was preparing to leave the campus on her first two-day pass. She was anxious to see her daughter, Miral, who would be nineteen months old on Saturday. The short time she had been separated from Miral seemed like a year.

She picked up her travel bag and was heading out the door when K'Trina entered their room. "Hey, where are you going for your two days of freedom?" the Klingon asked.

"I'm going to visit family," B'Elanna replied. She thought it best to come as close to the truth as possible.

The tall cadet looked worried then offered to walk with her to the transport station. The Captain groaned inwardly. Her roommate was feeling too damned protective ever since the other night. She had to shake her watch dog.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I'm walking directly there. See you Sunday evening K'Trina." With that, she quickly left the room.

B'Elanna left the building but without looking she knew she was being followed. Using skills learned from the Maquis she gave the Klingon the slip and jumped into a transport shuttle before her roommate could catch up. She punched in the coordinates and sat back.

She arrived at Tom's home a few minutes later. She activated the door chime. Tom opened the door and greeted her with a friendly hug before tugging her into the apartment. Inside, B'Elanna spotted her daughter in her playpen. She couldn't help but grin when she noticed her daughter having a class A temper tantrum.

Okay, it was time to do her stern mother bit and get her willful daughter to behave. "Miral, stop that nonsense this minute!" she barked out.

The little girl lifted her dark eyes and hiccuped as she heard her mother's voice. Miral looked at B'Elanna with a puzzled expression because of the cosmetic surgery that had altered her face. "Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart, Mama is here," B'Elanna crooned, picking up the little girl.

Miral sighed. Mama may not look the same but her scent was and she snuggled contentedly into her mother's arms. After a few minutes of holding her child close and stroking her back, the exhausted girl fell asleep. B'Elanna placed her into her crib and covered her with a blanket. Tom still kept the apartment too cool.

The adults sat down to chat and B'Elanna noticed the dark circles under her ex-husband's eyes. "She's wearing you out, huh?"

"Yeah. It's unbelievable how much energy she has." Tom looked at B'Elanna and patted her hand. "She's been crying for you almost every night. How much longer do you think this investigation is going to take?"

"I have no idea," she admitted with a sigh. "We made very little headway so far." She told him what they knew at this point. Tom had felt anger at the bozo whom had attacked his ex wife but knew she could more than keep care of herself against anyone unarmed. However, a phaser pistol could even the odds.

"Lanna, promise me you'll not take any undue risks. You have a little girl who needs you," he reminded her unnecessarily. He changed the subject. "Are you going to stay here tonight or take Miral back to your apartment?"

"B'Elanna thought it over. "I'll take her to my place so I can focus on her for a whole day."

"Okay, I'll pack up a few things to tide you over," he offered. He watched B'Elanna lift her daughter and shoulder the overnight bags. Their daughter didn't even stir. He summoned a transit shuttle and programmed it so she didn't have to. He waved as they moved away.

• * * *

B'Elanna entered her apartment and carried Miral into the nursery to lay her down. Her daughter didn't even stir. The Captain crept out of the room quietly and sighed. Even having Miral in the next room helped her jangled nerves settle down.

She took a shower as her daughter slept and got into her own sleepwear since she certainly didn't plan on going anywhere until late tomorrow. She and Miral would play and cuddle until then.

She felt sensual pleasure as the cool, black silk glided along her skin. It reminded her how long it had been since her last romantic evening with anyone. She sighed and closed her eyes, remembering the all too brief kiss she had shared with Seven. Oh great. Now her motor was purring and she had no where to go. If this kept up she would have to take matters into her own hands.

The door chime sounded. B'Elanna huffed and grabbed a robe. She was not only aroused she had to deal with company as well.

She entered the living area and asked who it was.

"Seven," came the husky reply.

"Speak of the devil," B'Elanna muttered and told her to enter.

The half-Klingon woman didn't even get to ask why she was there. The blonde grasped her arm firmly and pulled her into her arms even as her mouth captured her lips in a slow sensual kiss.

B'Elanna allowed it for a long moment then pushed against Seven until she broke the kiss. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I told you, B'Elanna Torres, that I was going to chase you," she said smugly.

B'Elanna felt torn. She wanted to grab the woman and do things considered unseemly for an officer and resenting that Seven was interfering with her time alone with Miral. She shook with indecision then growled.

"Okay, that's it!" she snarled and drew back her fist to pop the cocky Borg in the nose. Only it never connected. Seven's enhanced reflexes stopped the blow from landing and began curling B'Elanna's fingers until her own short nails dug into her palms. B'Elanna's nostrils flared when she could smell the scent of blood mingled with sweat.

Seven's blue eyes refused to look anywhere but the Klingon's brown eyes even as she lifted their joined hands and licked at the small trickle of blood.

B'Elanna could only hear the thundering of her own heart as her Klingon blood boiled and a deep rumble came up from deep inside her. She was quickly driven to blood fever as she shot out her free hand to capture Seven's. She wanted to breathe in her scent and take her as her won.

"Mama!" Miral cried from her room.

It took a few seconds for her world to snap back into focus once maternal instincts fought for dominance. She pushed Seven away from her with a growl and spun on her heels to check on her offspring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 7**

Seven was sitting on the sofa when B'Elanna returned.

"How is Miral?" she asked quietly.

"She's fine," the engineer said. "Tom said she's been crying for me at night. He was right. She isn't even awake."

Seven felt a desire to comfort the woman and drew her down onto the sofa and placed her arm around the smaller woman. "We will find a way to end this investigation as quickly as possible so Miral may have her mother with her once more," Seven said even though she had no idea how to fulfill her vow at the moment.

"Promise?" B'Elanna asked, needing to hear her former shipmate say it again. Seven would never lie to her.

Seven looked at her solemnly, "_DichDaq qaQan _(I will protect you)" Seven vowed, giving B'Elanna a quick hug and standing. "I will leave now and give you time with your daughter." With that, she bent forward and placed an affectionate kiss on B'Elanna's brow and bid her a goodnight.

"I am glad to be back at school. How about you, Ressa?" the human female asked her roommate.

"I could have used a few more days off myself but with our workload? I'm sorry we had to cut our weekend short just to do homework, Terry," she apologized.

"That's okay, what are friends for? It's just weird how quiet this place is with so many cadets gone for the weekend."

"I know. Just the students whose families are too far away to visit stay here during the weekends, although many leave just to see something new for a little while," Ressa commented. Earlier she had felt the hairs on her neck rise because she thought she was being watched and she thought the place was just too quiet. She stood up, feeling jittery and wanted to move around. "I need to get something to eat, do you want to come along?"

Terry looked up from her PADD and shook her head. "I'm think I'm finally figuring this out and don't want to lose my train of thought. You go ahead, I'm going to keep studying."

"Okay. I'll be back in an hour or so," Ressa informed her on her way out. As she shut the door she had the odd feeling of being watched. She looked around but didn't see anyone. Maybe it was nothing. She thought about going back and warning her roommate, but about what? It was just a weird feeling, probably caused by the Academy being so quiet. She kept going, intending to get something to eat at the mess hall.

"That's right. Leave," whispered the male who was waiting in the shadows.

Her pass was almost over and B'Elanna was gathering up Miral's things in preparation for taking her back to Tom's apartment. Miral sensed her mother was going to leave her once again and was fussing. B'Elanna's thoughts strayed to Seven and her promise to help solve the mystery. Who would have thought the former Borg would feel such compassion? The Captain shook her head; thinking about Seven and the way life plays little jests on people. She wondered how they could solve the mystery if the cadets refused to talk. Suddenly an idea struck her.

She hurried to finish packing. She needed to contact Seven and have her arrange a meeting with Admiral Janeway. Cadets rarely requested meetings with the Commandant and she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

Later, after dropping off the now screaming Miral off with her father, headed back to the Academy. The strain of once more leaving her daughter behind left her feeling frustrated and guilty. She was walking along a pathway towards her dorm building when she noticed a male leaving it. She waited in the shadows and took note of him since he wasn't exactly doing anything wrong. He could have just been visiting someone but it didn't hurt to remember what few details she saw. She waited until he disappeared and watched the route he took. Once he was out of sight she returned to her room to get some sleep.

Ressa was worried about her roommate. Ever since she returned to their room the young woman had refused to look at her and only answered in monosyllables. When she had asked if anything was wrong the cadet had rolled to her side with her back to her and stared off into space.

The behavior was so out of place that Ressa wondered what could have possibly happened in the hour and a half she had been gone from the room. She even suggested visiting the sick bay but her roommate ignored her and got ready for bed. As she turned down her bed she saw something glitter. She reached for the item and saw that it was a flight pin, given to cadets who passed the basic flight tests. What was it doing here? Neither she nor Terry had earned one as yet. She had a weird feeling that it might prove important. She tucked the pin away out of sight-just in case.

Admiral janeway was a very happy woman. Although her marriage had been sudden she had never been happier. After seven long years of abstinence she was making up for lost time with the help of her very willing spouse. Kathryn smiled as she recalled their time together last night and how they nearly broke the bed.

She hummed softly to herself at her desk until her aide entered the room with a PADD.

"Oh wonderful, more reports," she grinned at her assistant. The woman looked at her grimly and quietly handed over the PADD. Now the Admiral's joyful mood was dashed.

"What is this report about?" she asked even as she activated the device. Her aide didn't even have the time to answer since the form was extremely short. She reread it again and looked at her assistant, her blue-gray eyes turning cloudy.

Get me a COM link to Seven of Nine. That will be all," she said curtly as she spun her computer console towards her and fixed her gaze on it. The woman nodded and left the Admiral's office, wondering what the guest speaker had to do with a cadet resigning. She sat down at her desk and located Seven and had her hold as she patched her through to the Admiral.

Kathryn activated her COM link and spoke to Seven, barely saying hello. "Seven, let's have lunch at my quarters today," she told the former Borg.

"I have a tutoring session at 11:00 hours and should be available at approximately 12:00 hours, Admiral," Seven replied. She could tell from Kathryn's tone that it was important and not a casual request.

"At 12 o'clock then. Janeway out," she acknowledged, now in full command mode.


	8. Chapter 8

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 8

Seven activated the door chime to Admiral Janeway's quarters.

"Who is it?" the Admiral asked.

Seven raised her Borg implanted brow at the illogical question. She had been asked to be there at 1200 hours and it was exactly that. Even after taking the time to check for any other possible updates on the investigation with B'Elanna she was there at their appointed time.

She sighed and gave her designation. The door opened and Seven saw that the Admiral seemed agitated.

Indeed she was. Admiral Janeway had spent the last few hours interviewing the most recent female cadet who had resigned. The young woman had refused to answer any of her questions, leaving Kathryn frustrated. Speaking to the cadet's roommate only brought up more questions.

"I came back a few hours later and she was like another person," Ressa had told her. "She became unresponsive, withdrawn. She wouldn't say a word unless spoken to. I have no idea what happened or why. I've had the willies since we came back from our weekend pass and haven't been able to shake it. Admiral," the cadet paused then reached into her pocket. "I found this in our room last night. It doesn't belong to either Terry or myself. I don't know if it is helpful or not but perhaps you ought to have it." Ressa placed the golden flight medal onto the older woman's palm.

Kathryn had been ready to chew her nails since then, waiting for the arrival of Seven of Nine.

"Seven, prompt as always. Come in."

The blonde entered and Janeway began to inform Seven of all the latest happenings.

"Seven, this has to come to an end. The latest victim is practically catatonic and we have no clue what happened to her. She refuses to submit to an examination," Kathryn threw her arms wide in a display of helpless frustration then hugged herself. She continued on, nearly growling in barely controlled anger.

"We ran tests on the flight medal and the genetic material suggests it belonged to Cadet McCormick but it proves nothing."

"Admiral. I met with B'Elanna prior to arriving here. She had seen a male leave the same dorm building approximately the same time as Cadet Ressa had returned to her room. She also noted which direction he had left and the building he was heading for. It is possible that this male might be our culprit or at least know something of use to us.

"If Cadet McCormick indeed lives in the same building then B'Elanna has a plan that may work. She does have a working theory and plan and wished to discuss it with you."

"Seven, you may not be aware of this but Cadet McCormick's father is the Earth Representative to the Federation Council. Our proof must be absolute and solid or there will be hell to pay."

Seven nodded in understanding. One did not accuse or even press the family of anyone of importance without just cause. She began outlining the plan B'Elanna had suggested.

B'Elanna wished to walk alone in the area of the suspect's dorm. They had narrowed down the possible areas she could be 'ambushed' late at night. If the culprit indeed stalked and attacked her they would at least have enough just cause to question him further. The Admiral had few doubts on the half-Klingon's abilities to protect herself and capture a human criminal. She agreed that the following night would be as good a time as any other to set the plan into action.

_One down and another to go_, the male grinned to himself. _That bitch only escaped me because of that Klingon got in the way but she's next. She thought she was so clever that day but I followed her to that apartment. She seems fond of that brat of her cousin's. I wonder what she would do if that brat came up missing? _He smiled viscously. He whistled a merry tune to himself as he got dressed. He removed his cadet decorations from yesterday's clothing and noticed his flight medal was missing. "Oh well, guess I'll have to replace it."

He pinned on the remaining decorations as he opened a COM link to his father. His father's warm and indulgent smile appeared as he greeted his only son.

"Hi dad. I need a favor. Could you contact the Academy and tell them you need me to see you later today? I have something important to do and need a pass to get off campus," he said with a sly wink so his father thought he was meeting with a pretty girl.

His father chuckled and promised to make the call if it was important. The screen went blank and the young man giggled. _This is going to be so much fun_, he thought.

The Cadet followed the same route taken by Cadet Torres during her weekend to the home of Thomas Paris. He activated the chime.

"Who is it?" Tom asked as he opened the door. He was wondering who it could possibly be this late at night. As the door slid open he was struck with a heavy stun setting of a phaser.

The Cadet stepped over the fallen body and entered the apartment. He searched until he found the sleeping child. Miral seemed to sense a stranger holding her and began fussing. _Not papa, bad smell_, the little girl thought, trying to squirm out of the stranger's arms.

McCormick pulled a hypo spray from his pocket and injected the little girl with a sedative. He left the apartment with the sleeping child in his arms. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 9**

Tom Paris came groggily awake then suddenly realized he had been attacked. _Miral! _He thought in panic. Crawling weakly on hands and knees Tom reached his daughter's room. His eyes frantically searched the room until undeniably the realization hit him that she was indeed gone. With great effort he managed to get to his feet. The effects of the phaser left his body tingling like his entire body had fallen asleep. Tom made it to the communication terminal to notify the authorities. They needed to find his missing daughter. They just had to.

His next thought was B'Elanna. '_I don't know how I'm going to tell her_,' he thought helplessly. He made the decision to contact Admiral Janeway first. He braced himself and contacted her office.

"Admiral? You have a call from a Tom Paris," the aide told Kathryn.

"Thank you," she said and activated her COMM unit. "Tom, what can I do for you?" she asked as soon as his face appeared on the screen.

"Admiral, Miral has been taken," he said in a rush. He was clearly upset.

"Taken? By whom?" she asked.

"I don't know. I opened the door and was hit by a heavy stun setting from a phaser and she was taken."

"Hold on Tom. I'll contact B'Elanna," Janeway told him. She put him on hold and switched to her aide's console. "Janice, could you send a messenger to the class of Cadet Torres and have her report to my office ASAP?"

B'Elanna was in her engineering class wondering where K'Trina was. Her roommate wasn't usually late for the class. When the classroom door opened she spotted another Cadet enter the room. It was the upperclassman that usually ran errands for the Commandant. It was considered an honor to be assigned the position. She wondered why he was there. He walked up to the instructor. Within seconds she was surprised to hear her name being called. The instructor told her she was excused from class and was to report directly to the Commandant's office.

The former Maquis was curious but not worried. She grabbed her things and followed after the messenger.

K'Trina was running late for class. She had forgotten to get a needed PADD and had rushed back to retrieve it. She was cutting across campus to save time when she saw a human male carrying a toddler into the basement of a dorm, using the cellar doorway.

'_I wonder what he's doing_?' The only thing in the basements was storage facilities. ''_And why was he carrying a child down there_?'

Intrigued, the tall Klingon female moved behind a tree and watched him, hoping he wouldn't spot her lurking. Several minutes later he returned to the ground level without the child. He glanced around but seemed unworried about being seen. After all, it was a time when everyone should be attending classes. He whistled a merry tune and walked around to the dormitory entryway.

K'Trina waited until he was out of sight and went to the cellar doors. She wanted to know what was going on with the child. She looked around first then entered the basement. The Klingon tried several doors, peeking into each room until she spotted the toddler. K'Trina found the child asleep upon a pile of duffel bags at the back of the room. She went into the reached around until she found the old-fashioned light switch. She closed the door behind her and approached the child. As she neared the sleeping toddler she was surprised to learn the girl was part Klingon, her ridges clearly defined.

She didn't know who the child was or why she was hidden away but she wasn't about to just leave her there unconscious. Gently, she picked up the sleeping child and cradled her in her arms. K'Trina decided to take the girl to her dorm room and figure out who exactly to contact about her.

The male had been up to no good that was certain. She opened the door and shut of the light. Once she was sure no one was around she left the darkened basement and headed for her own dorm room.

Seven of Nine knocked softly on B'Elanna's door, hoping the Captain was back from her classes. She wished to discuss the plans for tomorrow night's activities.

The door opened but it was her tall roommate who answered. Seven glanced into the room and was surprised not to see B'Elanna but her daughter instead, asleep on the bed. She turned to the Klingon female.

"What is Miral Paris doing asleep in your quarters?" There was no possible reason for B'Elanna to have her daughter on the Academy's grounds.

"You know who she is?" K'Trina asked. "I followed a human male into the baggage room. He was carrying her into it. He left a few minutes later without her. I was curious and found her asleep on some baggage. I think she might be drugged since she hasn't stirred at all. I was trying to think who to contact first."

Seven didn't even question the young woman's statement. She went directly to the terminal and contacted Admiral Janeway.

"Admiral, I arrived at Cadet Torres' quarters and found Miral Paris asleep in the room. Her roommate had discovered the child after following a male subject. Quite possibly our suspect we spoke of earlier."

"Thanks goodness you have her! Seven, we'll be right there. Janeway out."

Admiral Janeway turned to join B'Elanna but found that she was already gone from the room. She could almost imagine a trail of smoke in her wake. Kathryn ran to catch up with the young mother.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 10**

The door nearly flew off its hinges as B'Elanna threw open the doors and rushed to her sleeping daughter. She gently picked up the sleeping child and begun stroking her silky hair and placing kisses on her ridged brow.

Her roommate walked up behind her, placing a large hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. "Your cousin is alright, Lanna," K'Trina told her kindly. The Klingon cadet realized Lanna didn't even seem to notice her, continuing to stroke the child's dark hair as she rocked her within her arms.

Admiral Janeway sat down at the dorm room terminal. She contacted the Holographic Doctor, asking him to come to the room and examine her godchild. She didn't want to take any chances with Miral's health, angry that the little girl had been drugged. He promised he would be there shortly and ended the transmission.

The Doctor arrived within minutes. He didn't even attempt to remove the baby from the engineer's arms, scanning the child as B'Elanna held her. He frowned at the scanned results and removed an injector from his medical kit. Once he gave the child the hypospray injection he took the Admiral aside, keeping his voice low.

"Admiral, I had to counteract the sedative in her bloodstream. She had enough of the drug in her system to knock out an adult. It would have killed her if it had gone untreated. I would like to take her to a medical facility for observation."

Kathryn Janeway dropped out of her officer mode and into that of the little girl's godmother. Her lips were tightly pressed together as the horror of his words shined from her eyes. Then the doctor saw anger flash across her features.

"We'll keep this just between you and me for now, Doctor," the Admiral told him.

Seven turned her gaze from the woman she loved to her former Captain. "You forgot that the hearing of both Klingons and Borg drones are quite acute, Admiral"

B'Elanna was gently placing her daughter down onto the bed and rising to her feet. The fury in her eyes said that her control was about to snap, to change the woman into a berserker seeking blood. One didn't need to know much about Klingon warriors to see the young woman's intention of slicing McCormick into the smallest pieces possible to extend his agony. She wouldn't kill him immediately; the _petaQ_ would be made to suffer first. She didn't care that a true Klingon would merely kill him quickly. She wanted him to suffer for what he had done.

Admiral Janeway saw the look. "Seven, stop her, now!" she shouted The Borg's eye implant nearly reached her hairline but the instinct to obey the older woman made her react, barely in time. Even her enhanced reflexes had a difficult time reacting with enough speed to stop the infuriated mother. Her enhancements were also all that saved her from serious injury when B'Elanna attempted to escape her grasp. The smaller woman tried to fight her way from her friend with little regard to the harm she caused her. But Seven was determined to prevent her from leaving the room.

She pulled B'Elanna into her arms, holding her tightly while stroking her hair. The blonde murmured what she hoped was comforting words, saying over and over that Miral was fine.

K'Trina watched unhappily as the guest speaker held her roommate closely against her body, stroking her back and hair. She had been trying to work up enough nerve to ask Lanna out on a date. The cousin of B'Elanna Torres looked enough like K'Trina's idol to be attractive in spite of her human blood plus she was loosely tied to the House of Pasba.

She could see that Lanna was still trembling violently, obviously still upset about her little cousin's abduction. The Klingon cadet didn't realize that B'Elanna was trembling from fright but anger. She wanted to destroy something or someone.

The occupants of the room were so enraptured by the scene that they didn't notice an old fashioned envelope being slid under the dorm door. K'Trina was the first person to notice it. She retrieved the paper and glanced at it, seeing that it was addressed to Lanna Torres. She saw that the Admiral was looking at her and handed the envelope to the older woman.

Kathryn didn't want to disrupt Seven from soothing B'Elanna and avoiding a greet deal of bloodshed. She slid a finger under the flap and opened it, quietly unfolding the sheet of paper and reading the handwritten note.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR COUSIN AGAIN COME TO CADET BARRACKS 5 AT 2200 HR. AND DON'T TELL ANYONE OF THIS NOTE AND COME ALONE.

Janeway rushed to the door and opened it but saw no one. The hallway was empty. She looked at the paper once more.

The note was unsigned, of course, and Janeway's lips curled into the semblance of a smile. If the writer only knew whom he was dealing with he certainly wouldn't want her arriving alone. Alone, she would feel no hesitation in killing him.

The Admiral took the note to the Doctor and asked him to do a scan of the paper and envelope. Perhaps they could retrieve a DNA strand to identify the culprit. She doubted it though since DNA had long been used to convict criminals since the late 20th century.

The Doctor ran his medical tri-corder over the seal of the envelope and glanced up in surprise. Unbelievably, the seal had been licked, leaving the DNA pattern of the person handling it. He ran it against the samples taken earlier and compared them. The samples matched and could be presented as evidence against the person that they captured.

Seven and B'Elanna were now sitting on the bed. The former Borg had refused to release her from her embrace, keeping the smaller woman in her arms. One hand ran soothingly along B'Elanna's back, stroking in small circles.

The half-Klingon allowed herself to relax as her mind took over instead of her emotions and instincts. Her anger was abated however, but merely kept on hold as she let her mind consider many options. Such options like how to kill McCormick slowly rather than following the instinct that screamed kill kill kill. Now her intellect thought of ways to bypass everyone to get at the _petaQ_. She didn't want to be stopped before she completed her duty to punish the man who would harm her child.

Seven was not fooled in the least. She knew that look, the one that spoke of a mind working out a problem, racing over obstacles and finding new solutions. It was the look of absolute attention and Seven could bet it involved picturing the walls covered in McCormick's blood. If the Captain got her hands on the suspect then security would have to mop up the victim with sponges.


	11. Chapter 11

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 11

Admiral Janeway brought the note over to B'Elanna and Seven to read. As the engineer's dark eyes scanned the note a grim smile exposing sharp death appeared. The Admiral knew that humor had little to do with that baring of teeth. The officer rapidly went over the facts in her mind. They had enough on Cadet McCormick for kidnapping and child endangerment to at least arrest him. His family connections couldn't prevent that. The question remained was would any of the female cadets who resigned their commission step forward once he was in custody? She knew whatever he had done must have been profoundly heinous in order for all those cadets to leave the Academy. If they testified against him he would be punished or treated under the full extent of the law.

The only fly in the ointment was B'Elanna. Would she allow him to live so he could be captured in the act of committing another crime or would she kill him? Kathryn really wanted this man caught in an act against a female cadet so he would be prosecuted for that as well.

That was only possible if she allowed B'Elanna to attend that meeting with him. The Admiral wasn't sure they could prevent her from killing him, even if they beamed directly to the crime scene at the right moment. Kathryn made the decision that they would allow B'Elanna to meet with McCormick at the demanded time and place. She just needed to make some plans for possible situations and hope for the best. They had a little less than four hours to come up with viable plans.

Much later, with the assistance of security personnel, Janeway had set up a plan to have security standing by, ready to transport at a moment's notice. A communication officer would monitor the transmissions of B'Elanna's communicator.

The Klingon hybrid spent her time with her daughter and Seven of Nine in her dorm room, waiting until the appointed hour. B'Elanna's hands never strayed from her sleeping child's small form, stroking her gently as she slept. As the time approached, the Captain felt torn between remaining with her daughter or hunting down McCormick and chopping him into little pieces.

She saw the look in the Admiral's eyes and both women knew what was in the engineer's heart. B'Elanna knew that Kathryn had plans on keeping her on a short leash, hoping to prevent her from killing the man who had endangered her little girl's life.

But B'Elanna was determined that the man wouldn't escape unscathed with a slap on the wrist and a sent to a comfortable mental health facility. Her Klingon honor demanded that he would pay the price of pain and blood for his crimes. He had almost killed Miral and injured Tom, and for that he'd suffer. She didn't care what Janeway had planned she'd just work around her limitations.

Shortly before the deadline, Admiral Janeway handed a communicator. "This is a dedicated communicator," she told B'Elanna. "We want to be able to hear every sound without worrying about activating it. Plus we can track your movements if he drags you elsewhere." The Captain nodded in understanding, acknowledging what the Admiral had told her. Her features were grim but she was smiling inwardly. The time they gave her was limited but she could inflict a lot of agony on that bastard before they could transport to her location and stop her.

Admiral Janeway brought her back to the here and now. "Okay people, you know the plan so let's be about it." Everyone headed for their assigned stations as B'Elanna headed out the dorm room to go to Barracks 5.

Seven remained with Kathryn. They would beam over to Barracks 6 on the first floor. Close enough to watch from a distance but not be seen. They wanted a direct line of sight to the crime scene.

B'Elanna approached the kidnapper's chosen spot, her senses keen and fully alert as she scanned the area with her eyes. She tried to make herself appear docile and frightened knowing that he had to be watching from a hidden spot. She didn't want to shake his confidence by appearing like an avenging angel who was prepared to take on the hordes of evil minions single-handedly.

She stepped through the door and found him waiting, his stance lazy and cocky. She recognized him from his Academy photo although the person she saw now had little in common with the mild mannered expression in the photograph. He stood there with a smirk on his face, his eyes cold. He was a predator who enjoyed hurting others and was arrogant enough to believe no one else could hurt him.

She stared at him, knowing she should know him from somewhere, then it came to her. He was the person who had approached her at the baseball field, asking her to join the team. He had touched her in a friendly manner, smiling warmly.

Now he looked nothing like that charming young man.

"Why are you doing this?" B'Elanna asked him.

"Why shouldn't I? Women. Weak and simpering creatures. You human females are so weak that I can do what I want with you. I use you for sex or beat you up for the thrill of it." McCormick was so busy bragging about his imagined frailties of women than he didn't notice how close B'Elanna had gotten to him.

B'Elanna grew more uneasy as she got closer to him. Not because she feared him, but because he was obviously insane. No true warrior would find honor in killing a madman. But she did want to get her pound of flesh.

Jason ignored the nearing woman, stating his demands. "I want you to resign tomorrow if you want to see your niece again. And I want you to remember something. No matter how far you run, I will find you if you try to return to the Academy or tell anyone why you are leaving. I can even find that little mongrel kid again and make her pay for your blabbing mouth."

B'Elanna shook her head, astonished by the Cadet's hatred and insanity.

"You seem doubtful, but you will leave. You don't want me convincing you like the last one. Do you know what I did? I used her exactly how I wanted, with her begging and pleading for me to stop beating her. By the time I stopped she didn't protest anymore, I could do what I wanted."

"Oh my God, you raped her," B'Elanna whispered. He ignored her question but she knew she was right.

"Will you resign tomorrow or not?"

He started to reach for her but she reached out first, grabbing the hand and arm. With a quick jerk, she felt and heard the bone snap when she applied pressure. He howled in pain, amazed the frightened young woman was fighting back.

"You are so lucky that killing a madman is dishonorable," she snarled, watching him stumble backwards. She didn't see him frantically reaching for something from his trouser pocket. She stalked after him, determined to cause him a bit more pain before Kathryn arrived.

Jason pulled out a small phaser from its hiding place. Even though Cadets were not permitted to carry weapons on campus, he had began carrying it when one of his first victims had turned the tables on him, nearly defeating him with martial arts. He lifted his unbroken arm and pointed the device at the hybrid woman and stunned her. B'Elanna fell to the hard floor, heavily stunned and unable to shake off the effects in spite of her Klingon heritage.

McCormick staggered away, the pain from his broken arm driving away all rational thought other than escape. He hugged the broken limb to his chest and shouldered open the door that led outside. He no sooner took a step into the cool outdoors when a hand grabbed him around the throat and held him captive.

Seven looked into the building and saw B'Elanna on the floor. She was alive but Seven was uncertain how badly injured she was. Her grip tightened and Jason dropped his phaser as he instinctively tried to break her grip with his uninjured hand. He found himself being lifted nearly off his feet and dragged back into the building, his heels scrapping the concrete floor.

Kathryn rushed past Seven to B'Elanna's side. The engineer was slowly coming to and sat up with the Admiral's help. Her dark eyes opened and noticed that her suitor had McCormick dangling in her hand.

Kathryn followed B'Elanna's gaze and tried not to grin as she issued an order. "Seven, will you please put him down. He's turning blue and there's a puddle on the floor."

Seven lifted her eye implant slightly and looked down. "Very well, Admiral." Seven opened her hand and watched McCormick drop down into his own urine puddle on the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 12

The security team arrived to escort the criminal to the Starfleet Academy Security Center. As they bound his arms he kept muttering to himself, confused by the strength of the small human woman and galled because she defeated him.

The Borg woman he could understand her power. She had enhancements to make her stronger and faster but that runt of a cadet? As he was escorted past B'Elanna he leaned towards her in spite of the guards' grip and snarled. "You broke my arm, bitch!"

B'Elanna's expression was full of contempt. "You know, insanity is the only thing that saved you. I would have killed you otherwise."

Jason laughed, causing others to shiver because the laughter lacked any sort of true humor, the insanity distorting it. "Like a runt bitch like you could kill me," he smirked.

B'Elanna's hand shot out, grabbing his injured arm. She applied pressure to it, watching the prisoner turn pale from the pain.

Her victim gasped from the agony and felt humiliation eat at his guts. A mere woman had bested him and nearly had him on his knees from the pain she caused him. She released his arm and allowed the security team to get a better hold of the prisoner. "I only broke your arm. It could have easily been your neck. You made the mistake of underestimating me," B'Elanna taunted in return.

Then he recalled why she had sought him out and he grinned in spite of the pain. "Well, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing you'll never see your cousin again. Alive that is," he added.

Once more her hand grabbed his broken arm, this time leaning close to the kidnapper. Jason nearly fainted from the pain as she applied pressure to the broken bone. She whispered softly just so only he could hear. "My daughter is just fine," her voice hissed and she released his arm. This time the security team pulled their prisoner out of her reach before she could injure him further. Jason looked at her in shock, thinking he had heard her wrong. But the smirk on her lips told him he had indeed heard her right. He continued to stare at her face as the transporter beam surrounded him.

Admiral Janeway gave her former engineer a look that said she had crept over the line of acceptable behavior but said nothing. Kathryn tapped her COMM badge. "Three to beam directly to the Commandant's Quarters."

They arrived at the campus assigned suite and sat down, the evening's events catching up to them. Kathryn let out a tired sigh. Tomorrow a counselor would no doubt evaluate Cadet McCormick. The Admiral believed B'Elanna hit the nail on the head. McCormick was insane and would probably be unfit to stand trial. He would be locked away where he couldn't harm anyone until he was cured. Kathryn suspected that Jason McCormick was a sociopath at the very least, undetectable until the person did something horrific. The Sociopaths usually avoided detection and were often considered charming and mild-mannered.

Well, at least he didn't get away with harming Miral. That reminded her of something. "B'Elanna, perhaps you should contact Tom. I sent word that she was found but I bet he'd appreciate a little more information and reassurances that your daughter is fine," she suggested.

"Oh hell, Tom! I completely forgot about him." B'Elanna felt guilty at not contacting him sooner. She knew he would be worried sick and deserved better from her. After all, he was a good father to Miral and their breakup had been on good terms. He didn't deserve to be kept in the dark and worried. B'Elanna asked Kathryn to arrange for someone to bring Miral to their location. She thought it best to let Tom see that his daughter was fine.

A few minutes later the door chime activated. The Admiral raised her voice, saying 'enter' to allow the door to open. The door slid open and revealed the tall Klingon cadet, K'Trina, who was holding the sleepy Miral in one arm.

B'Elanna took her child and held her in a gentle hug for several moments then sat down at the desk and opened a link to Tom.

K'Trina looked around awkwardly, wanting to know answers but knowing she had no right to demand them from the Commandant.

Janeway saw the confusion on her face and patted the seat next to her. The towering warrior felt herself overwhelmed at the privilege of joining the ranking officer. Kathryn looked up at the young Klingon indulgently, seeing someone who was much like B'Elanna, recalling when they had first met. They had the same timid aggression, eager to please yet trying to hold onto her independence.

K'Trina sat gingerly onto the leather sofa, her posture rigid. Kathryn spoke softly, telling the cadet that Miral's father had to be contacted and reassured of his daughter's safety. K'Trina tried not to listen to the conversation spoken softly. She couldn't hear what the person on the other end of the COMM link was saying but it had to be Miral's father.

"Yes, Tom, she's fine." B'Elanna said for the fifth time. "We caught the culprit here at the Academy and he's being held prisoner in the brig."

"And how about you B'Elanna? You look a little worse for wear."

B'Elanna patiently reminded him that she was fine—again. The only reason she didn't lose her temper with him was because he was still her friend but his fretting was getting irritating. She told him good-bye after promising to contact him in the morning and broke the link.

Talking to Tom for any length of time reminded her of why they divorced. He was a good and kind man; great in small doses but quickly got on her nerves. They should have remained friends rather than try for a romance. Her ambiguous feelings for Tom didn't compare to how she felt when she was with Seven.

B'Elanna had always scoffed at those who mocked Klingons, stating humans couldn't tell whether a Klingon pair was going to fight or mate. They'd laugh and say only a Klingon could tell the difference. Maybe they were more right than they knew.

The hybrid had often ignored her Klingon half; trying to keep it shoved into one corner. The method rarely worked. It often insisted that it be heard although she usually ignored that aspect of herself. B'Elanna realized that she may refuse to listen but it didn't change who she was. The immediate reaction she felt to Seven's presence might have been sexual in nature and why she felt compelled to be aggressive to the former Borg. B'Elanna confessed to herself that her Klingon half was far stronger than she had believed, recognizing her mate as all Klingons did, by scent and by the fiery reaction of her blood.

As the Captain returned to where the other three women were sitting, B'Elanna decided to join Seven, testing her theory. Sure enough, the moment she got close to the tall blonde she felt her entire awareness focusing on the woman next to her. She was missing what Kathryn was telling them, so enraptured by her physical reaction to Seven's closeness.

Their eyes met and neither could look away. At this moment, B'Elanna knew Seven had indeed 'captured' her. B'Elanna nearly laughed aloud at the idea but suddenly realized that she wanted to be chased just a little more. It wouldn't do to be so easily caught.

K'Trina watched the two stare at one another and felt her blood boil. She wished to court Lanna but this cradle-robbing lecturer was doing her best to steal her away. Her warrior blood roared, demanding she end this now.

"How dare you, _petaQ_? You play with her emotions knowing you will soon leave. She deserves better than you," the Klingon spat out as she stood.

The optical implant rose high. "Oh? Cadet, you are mistaken, coming to conclusions without all the facts."

"The only fact that matters is that I care for her. I challenge you," K'Trina boldly stated.

Kathryn stood also, sending the cadet a force-ten glare. "That's quite enough, _cadet_."

"No, that's quite alright Admiral. Perhaps it is best to deal with this now," Seven told Kathryn before turning her blue eyes to the towering female Klingon. "K'Trina, sit, please."

K'Trina looked stubborn and refused to sit in the presence of her competitor for Lanna. Seven sighed. "Very well, we shall stand. Cadet, you are looking at the investigative team in charge of finding the answers to the mysterious events surrounding so many female resignations. With the capture of McCormick, we have the right to give you a few of the details although not all of them. I am, as I appear, the former astrometric head for _Voyager_.

"The Admiral, too, is as she appears. However, your room mate does not."

K'Trina's dark eyes sought out Lanna's, confused.

"May I introduce you to B'Elanna Torres, former engineer for _Voyager_ and now ranked Captain and serving at the Utopia Planatia shipyard."

K'Trina's mouth gapped in surprised. "Captain?"

B'Elanna smiled. "Well, considering that I'm well into my 30's it can't be all that surprising."

"Wait, B'Elanna Torres? By Kahless' beard, THE B'Elanna Torres, the engineer?" All three officers nodded. The cadet thought she might faint. Her hero had been sharing a dorm room with her all this time and she hadn't known it. She sat down with a plop onto the couch.

The Admiral cleared her throat, seeing that the anger and challenge was forgotten. "I don't need to remind you that this investigation is far from complete and that you may not discuss details with anyone. Do you understand, Cadet K'Trina?"

The Klingon nodded, still in shock. She was dismissed and she got shakily to her feet and left the room. "I wish all of our diplomatic missions had been that easy," Kathryn muttered.

She turned to Seven of Nine. "Thank you for all you've done, Seven. You're free to return to the Institute when you're ready." The Admiral glanced at B'Elanna. "And I want to thank you as well, B'Elanna. This investigation wouldn't have succeeded so quickly without your help. I know you'll be glad to have your own face back." Kathryn grinned as B'Elanna ran her fingertips over her smooth forehead ruefully. "You had to make several sacrifices to join this investigation and I'm relieved they weren't more tragic."

The Admiral brushed her hand over her goddaughter's silky hair. Yes, it could have ended so much worse. She added that B'Elanna was also free to return to her duties at the shipyards, dismissing both women. 


	13. Chapter 13

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 13

Kathryn Janeway was escorting B'Elanna and Seven to the door when her Admiral persona fell away, her weariness and concerns etching her face. She would rather face the Borg than investigate another mystery like this again. Too many thing could have gone wrong, not to mention how many careers had been ruined by this disturbed cadet.

She pulled both women into a tight hug then kissed Miral on her ridges. "I'll see you both later, once this is sorted out. Take care of yourselves." She watched them leave then headed for a chair, tired and exhausted from stress, when her terminal chimed. On the screen was the official logo of Starfleet Medical.

The admiral activated the terminal and a man's face appeared. "Admiral, I am Doctor Singh. I was placed in charge of the initial examination of Cadet McCormick." He paused, watching Kathryn's face before continuing. "We finished our preliminary testing of the young man. We believe him to be a sociopath and a danger to others. We'll be sending our findings and recommendations to Starfleet Headquarters later tomorrow morning, after a few more tests."

Kathryn thanked the doctor for his prompt report and deactivated the screen. Her head was killing her, a migraine in full bloom. She needed to visit the Academy sickbay and get something for the pain but she was too tired to do more than sit where she was and try to gather up the energy to stand. Just then, her wife come out from their bedroom. L'Hur took one look at her and pulled Kathryn gently to her feet and into her arms. Janeway just allowed herself to melt into the welcoming comfort of her mate's body, feeling instantly better.

B'Elanna turned to Seven the moment the admiral's door slid closed. "I want to get my things from my dorm room before we leave." Seven nodded and they headed down the corridor to the cadet residential area of the Academy.

They arrived at the dorm room a short time later. B'Elanna saw that the room was unoccupied, K'Trina hadn't returned in spite of the late hour. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or guilty for not telling her former roommate good-bye. She placed the still sleeping Miral on her bed then grabbed her dufflebag, stuffing her belongings into the bag while Seven waited patiently. She was just finishing her packing when K'Trina entered the room.

The tall Klingon looked at both women then faced B'Elanna. "I guess you're leaving now," she said.

"Yeah, just packing my stuff."

K'Trina stood there uneasily, shuffling feet, unsure what else to say. She wasn't good at dealing with most humans and 'awkward moments'.

B'Elanna knew she needed to thank the cadet once more but knew the Klingon would dismiss the words. One could not repay a debt with mere words. It was something either accepted as your due or repaid in kind later.

The Captain lifted her child to her shoulder and looked directly at the young woman. "You have the makings of being a good engineer. Study hard and there might be a position for you at the shipyards," she mentioned. She reached for her bag but Seven already had it, slinging it onto her own shoulder. She didn't wish to argue with her former shipmate over it so she ignored the kindness. She turned once more to K'Trina. "Qapla'," she told the Klingon. Without a backward glance, they left the dorm room.

Next Page


	14. note to readers

14 is now being betaed and I will put it up as soon as I get it back -goldenruhl


	15. Chapter 15

'Elanna turned to Seven the moment the admirals door slid closed. "I want to get my things from my dorm room before we leave." Seven nodded and they headed down the corridor to the cadet residential area of the Academy.

They arrived at the dorm room a short time later. B'Elanna saw that the room was unoccupied, K'Trina hadn't returned in spite of the late hour. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or guilty for not telling her former roommate good-bye. She placed the still sleeping Miral on her bed then grabbed her dufflebag, stuffing her belongings into the bag while Seven waited patiently. She was just finishing her packing when K'Trina entered the room.

The tall Klingon looked at both women then faced B'Elanna. "Well guess you're leaving now." she said.

"Yeah, just packing my stuff." B'Elanna told her.

K'Trina stood there uneasily, shuffling feet, unsure what else to say. She wasn't good at dealing with most humans and its awkward moments.

B'Elanna knew she needed to thank the cadet once more but knew the Klingon would dismiss the words. One could not repay a debt with mere words. It was something either accepted as your due or repaid in kind later.

The Captain lifted her child to her shoulder and looked directly at the young woman. "You have the makings of being a good engineer. Study hard and there might be a position for you at the shipyards" she mentioned. She reached for her bag but Seven already had it, slinging it onto her own shoulder. She didn't wish to argue with her former shipmate over it so she ignored the kindness. She turned once more to KTrina. "Qapla' she told the Klingon. Without a backward glance, they left the dorm room.

Walking towards the tranfer station B'Elanna was deep in thought. Leaving Seven to wonder what was on her mind. Before she could ask what was on her mind B'Elanna mumbled "It doesn't make sense."

Before Seven could ask what doesn't make sense B'Elanna made a sharp turn and headed back towards the commandant quarters.

Seven rang the doorbell and Admiral Kathryn Janeway answered the door her face didn't look happy she was in her robe with a drink in her hand.

"Seven, B'Elanna?" The admiral asked her dusky voice in its lower register "what brings you here?"

"Admiral it doesn't make sense." and started to explain her thinking about McCormick

"Admiral I think something else is going on."B'Elanna told her "For one thing no cadet hs the power to pull this off one of the cadet females involved is a Admirals daughter and his same year mate."

Admiral Janeway started to speak and B'Elanna raised her hand and said "Admiral let me finish please."

"We know deviant behavior we had our own little one in Sudder." B'Elanna reminded her "This kid was open and friendly and I don't think it was faked." B'Elanna said with a frown on her brow."Maybe he has a split personallity but something doesn't fell right."

"The doctor call with a diagnosis of sociopath." The admiral told her "I talked with him earlier."

"Tuvok treated Sudder do you think he can have a look at McCormick?" B'Elanna asked

"Well its not impossible he's not on Vulcan right now I roped him into teaching a class next semester." The Admiral told "he finished his treatments and is here on earth preparing for classes." The Admiral smirked

"Now that we have a plan I'll let you get back to your evening Admiral." B'Elanna smirked having a good idea why the admiral was a little test when they had shown up.

"Seven what do you think you haven't said a word so far." The Admiral asked her.

"I don't have anything to contribute at this time." Seven to her privately Seven was of the opinion that someone as damaged as McCormick should be deactivated as damaged drones were but she wasn't asked.

Seven and B'Elanna took their leave again and Kathryn Janeway sighed and thought to her self "Why are things never simple."

TO BE CONT


	16. Chapter 16

Starfleet Academy Mystery, part 16

Admiral Kathryn Janeway sat at her desk at Starfleet Academy. As she looked over the scheduled lesson plans, she and many starfleet captians had a few things they had always had a few thing they wished that even new ensigns knew how to do. Instead of having to train them from the ground up,since only the higher ranking had strong leadership training in the academy such as the cadet captian and squad leaders.  
This was the first time a recent starship captian was in charge at the academy. She had a few things she would like to add to the lesson plans. The smile she had on her face did not bode well for the cadets taking those lessons. She might even design a few lessons to be included herself. The smile became absolutely cunning.

B'Elanna's expression was very thoughtful. "Seven, it just doesn't make sense. I would though someone would have come forward even at the risk of their careers,something else is going on otherwise it makes no sense."

Seven stopped causing B'elanna to trip. "You are right,but what could have been overlooked."  
B'Elanna's brow frowned there was no way an admirals daughter whould have been so intimidated. She most starfleet cadet are so honest and trustworthy they sparkled, watching the expressions cross B'elannas face Seven knew she had mind on the problem and was no longer allowing herself to be sidetracked. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to keep them from focusing on the real problem.

The problem was victims still weren't talking which told its own story. If the problem was actually solved they would be B'Elanna gasped Seven knew her problem solving intuition had just kicked in one of the things so respected in the engineer. Why she often solved problems Seven logic could not.. s  
B'Elanna's expression was very thoughtful. "Seven, it just doesn't make sense. I would though someone would have come forward even at the risk of their careers,something else is going on otherwise it makes no sense."

"Maybe after a good nights sleep something will come to us. Right now my mind is just going in circles." B'Elanna told Seven "Maybe after a good nights sleep something will come to us. Right now my mind is just going in circles." B'Elanna told they arrived at B'Elanna's appartment B'Elanna invited Seven in but Seven told her she had to regenerate that night and would see her tomorrow.

Kathryn Janway sat back with a sigh even with the lesson plans she had made putting a smile on her face she still was left with a bad feeling about the whole mystery here at the academy. She trusted B'Elannas instincts and hers were giving off warning bells to. B'Elannas cover was blown so she couldn't be used that way again. If they let it be known Mc Cormick was captured and let it be thought the investigation was closed it perhaps would bring the perpetrators out of hiding and give them something to work with. She still needed someone under cover the question was who? There was a short list of people who could seem a target and turn the tables on the people behind of the files on her desk

was J'Amie daughter of Kul who was tested out of her first year and wasn't to report until next semester. Hmm a ridgeless Kligon. That would have some possbilities and brought up her file. Quite beautiful too. Perhaps she could room with K'Trina and help her over her dented heart. Janeway smile to herself.


End file.
